New conquests in war on diabetes

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">bangalore: danish pharmaceutical company novo nordisk has been in the forefront of pharmaceutical, especially diabetes research for decades. novo nordisk india managing director <span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">dr anil kapur</span> describes the company''s plans and aspirations. <span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">your expertise is in diabetes.what''s been novo nordisk''s experience in this area in india?</span> india has around 30-32 million diabetes patients, and it is estimated that the number will touch 65 million in the next 25 years. for long, the indian pharma industry had neglected the diabetes issue. it was considered as just a fallout of a certain lifestyle, not a disease. it is in this scenario that novo nordisk entered india in 1990. today, 95 per cent of our revenues in india come out of our diabetes drugs. this is proof of the fact that we have made deep inroads into the indian diabetes market. <span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">though india has millions of diabetics, it is said the business generated is below par. your comments.</span> this is true. as far as novo nordisk is concerned, less than one per cent of revenues come out of india. this is because in india not many diabetics are treated with the right drugs. novo nordisk has taken upon itself the responsibility of creating awareness about diabetes, so that many more come forward for treatment. <span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">can you explain novo nordisk''s triple bottomline concept?</span> the company just did not want to rest on its laurels, content with its financial bottomline. novo nordisk is clear in its mind that it is not just financials that are important. that''s why we coined the triple bottomline concept. apart from the obvious financial concerns, we are also protective about the environment, and thirdly, keen to hold on to a certain social responsibility. <span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">what are the social activities undertaken by the company globally?</span> we have set up a fund for diabetes patients who cannot afford treatment. it is called the novo aid fund. we have also formed the novo nordisk education foundation for diabetes awareness. apart from this, we are also working towards developing cost-effective drugs. <span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">have these steps helped the business?</span> quite a lot. we have shown the highest growth among all leading pharmas and our share price on the new york stock exchange has increased enormously. <span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">what are your ambitions for the indian market?</span> we already have a 75 per cent market share in the insulin business and a 27 per cent share in the diabetes segment in india. we would like to push these figures further. and yes, we have big plans for india. we have already doubled the number of employees here. i guess we have the potential to grow five times over in the indian market. <span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">what are some of the drugs in the pipeline?</span> two new diabetes drugs are now in the phase iii stage of development. i would say these drugs will create a revolution in the market. at least one of them will be out in the market by the year 2004-05. </div> </div>